and as if he knew that with such a dog as Dunaj he mustn't
start a fight, just licked his comrades and was friendly to the
stranger. His arrival reminded the boys of Bacha, and what he would
say if they stayed too long. They rose, and Palko promised to
accompany them that they might show him where their hut was standing,
and when he had time he would come to visit them.

He ran down to close his house and they had to wait a while. When he
returned he carried a large piece of bread which he divided equally
into five parts, and then they followed the narrow path over the
meadows to the sheepcotes.

The newcomer told them many things on the way. They could hardly part
from him.

When Bacha came to supper they endeavored to out-do one another in
telling him about it. He listened intently, and said he would be glad
when the strange boy, who it seemed was very decent, would visit them.
They all hoped that he would come the next Sunday.

CHAPTER FOUR

It is a true saying that, "People keep with people, and mountains
with mountains." How one person gets used to another you can scarcely
believe until you have seen it yourself. What is it that draws one
to another? Long lived our three comrades with Bacha Filina without
Palko, and nothing was lacking, but now if a day passed without seeing
him it seemed as if they could not stand it. Though it may seem
strange, Bacha Filina would have missed him most. Wherever he went,
whatever he did, he always had in mind the moment when the bushes
parted on that beautiful Sunday afternoon, and, like a picture in a
frame, stood the strange boy so clean and neat with his cape over his
shoulder, small hat in his hand, resting his hand on a shaggy white
dog. It would truly be a fine picture for a painter to paint in those
wide mountains, if he could but make it so true to nature--you could
not look at him enough. And he remembered again how Palko sat with
them in front of the hut with the Holy Book in his hand, reading word
for word, chapter for chapter. Such beautiful and good things. So must
Jesus have looked when He sat amongst the Jewish teachers. Oh, how did
he understand the Word of God! No sermon had moved old Bacha as did
the talks of Palko the boy, though he had heard many in his life.
Bacha had a whole Bible which he read sometimes on Sunday. He had also
a big book with sermons, but since the time that Palko Lesina came
every evening to them it was as if a veil had been re